A Lagos High Court, Ikeja on Tuesday dismissed a plea by an alleged fraudster, Fred Ajudua, seeking to adjourn his trial to September.
This came seven years after Ajudua, a lawyer, allegedly absconded from trial over alleged $1.69m fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Ajudua and Charles Hijiudu, in 2003 for allegedly defrauding two Dutch businessmen – Mr. Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen – of about $1.69m between July 1999 and September 2000.
Ajudua, who was absent at the Tuesday's proceedings, made the plea for an adjournment till September through his counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo.
The presiding judge, Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, dismissed the health grounds for seeking the request and ordered that the accused must be in court on June 11 for trial.
The judge had earlier issued a warrant to compel Ajudua to report to the court for his trial.
Oyewole said he would not accede to the September date demanded by the accused, noting that the court would not continue to wait for him indefinitely.
The judge rejected the medical report relied upon by Ojo and his client (Ajudua), stating that it did not provide sufficient information for him to exercise his discretion in their favour.
He said, "The whole thing is about the tragedy of our law enforcement agents. The prosecution is thereby helpless.
"Your client is a legal practitioner, an issue you raised vehemently during the bail application. As a legal practitioner, he has more duties to do than any other defendants.
"He has a bench warrant on his head, he does not appear in court to face his trail and you want me to believe a medical report that did not specify his whereabouts and the duration he will spend to receive treatment.
"There is nothing on this medical report to indicate that he is not fit to stand trial. This does not have anything to do with his mental faculty."
The judge added, "Dr. Mabayoje has been writing to the court since all these years and in this letter, he did not state that the defendant is on admission with him. He (the accused) left the jurisdiction of this court and he re-appeared within the jurisdiction without appearing in court.
"The court is not interested in the property of the surety, but after justice that defendant must appear and face his trial. He is an innocent legal practitioner and bench warrant is hanging on his head."
The Punch